Mine Fields
by Kate Manoso
Summary: Follow up to 'War Zone'. Alexander is out to get Stephanie...
1. Prologue

A/N: Characters aren't mine. Follow up to 'War Zone'.

**Mine fields**

_Prologue_

The dark brown head of hair trapped in my scope swiveled around in his chair. Victor Sanchez looked out of his office window, oblivious to the shortening of his life span, and smiled as he watched his two young sons play in the small backyard. Sanchez had made too many mistakes for one of Alexander's Italian associates. Too many mistakes gets your face in a picture with a price tag on the back.

What was the price tag for killing a low level Spanish thug who's skimming off the top of drug and gun shipments? Fifty thou. Not bad for a three day trip to Spain. The sad part for Alexander's associate is that I would have done it for free after I watched the jack ass slap his wife in the face when she had tripped and dropped a cup of coffee on the office floor carpet.

Did I feel bad about taking someone's life? Sometimes I did. Sometimes I didn't. And when I didn't mind wiping a scumbag, wife-beater off the face of the Earth, I'd smile and go shopping after as a reward for a job well done.

I re-sighted my target through my scope, a small smile tilting up my lips.

"Enjoy your swift trip to Hell, Mr. Sanchez."

The trigger was pulled, glass shattered, a woman screamed, and my job was finished.

As I dismantled and packed up my riffle, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Plum," I said once I got the phone to my ear.

"Trip," a gruff, familiar voice clipped back to me. "I'm walking out of the meeting with George Andrews. He's pissed off that I can't lower the rate that we quoted him."

"How much lower does he want?" I asked as I closed my gun case and headed to the rental car I had parked at the curb. "The rate that we had discussed at our first meeting was already discounted ten percent and he was agreeable to that rate."

"I know." Trip was definitely not sounding pleased. "When are you going to be back?"

"My flight out of here is tomorrow morning," I said as I climbed in my car and headed back into Madrid. "Have Alice call and set up a meeting for me and Mr. Andrews for Monday afternoon. He probably just thought that he'd be able to get another discount with you since he's been dealing with me."

"Alright. So..." Trip hesitated for a moment. "How's Spain?"

I grinned. "Quiet."

"Okay. I'll see you Monday morning for our weekly department meeting."

"Oh, Trip?" I stopped him from hanging up.

"Yeah."

"Tell Ranger to pass along that there is a shipment coming in on Thursday night that the DEA and ATF should sniff around." I pulled out a note pad and read off the ships name and the port location that I had overheard from a deck hand. "Should be an interesting shipment of goods."

"Will do," Trip said. Then paused. "You know that this is dangerous, right?"

"I'm not that fond of Alexander's Italian associate," I said after a moment. "I'm not all that fond of the Spanish associate that he had either."

"I see," Trip said with a sigh. "I'll pass the message along. Have a safe flight."

"Will do."

After tucking my cell phone back in my pocket, I headed for the nearest shopping plaza. I really deserved some new shoes.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Characters aren't mine_

**Mine Fields**

_Chapter One_

A frown formed on my face as I pulled out my vibrating cell phone to check the caller ID. There weren't many people who had the number to my RangeMan cell other than employees. That it was an unknown name from a New York number confused me even more. I gave Trip a one minute sign as I turned around in my chair to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Morning."

My heart stopped beating for a brief moment as the deep voice seemed to trail over my skin and rattle me straight to my core. I hadn't heard the deep, raspy voice in over a year. And I just now realized that I had come to miss it. I stood up from my chair and walked a few feet to the window.

"Are you okay?" I said as I scanned the street below.

"I'm fine."

Silence flowed through the phone. A sigh escaped my lips before I asked, "Where are you?"

"Look across the street at the roof."

My eyes swung up from the street below to the roof top. His hair blew through the slight breeze, his eyes hidden behind the long range scope attached to his sniper riffle. My gut clenched. I had thought that maybe this day would come. But I guess I had hoped that it wouldn't have at the same time. Still, the who, why, and where of it had always floated through my mind.

"You don't look happy to see me," he said, his voice dropping low with disappointment.

It took me a moment to get my voice back from the fear that had a death grip on it. "How much were you offered?"

"Not nearly enough for me to actually do it," he said without hesitation. "I just wanted to know what it would feel like to sit here and look at you this way."

"How does it feel?" I asked, not sure that I really wanted the answer.

He was silent for a moment before he said, "I don't like looking at you through a scope with a round chambered. It makes me feel... sad."

Achilles was never one to be comfortable with emotions. His ability to completely block them out was what made him the best in our line of work. He was so cold sometimes that you could get frost bite from just standing next to him. He reminded me of Ranger when I first met him. There were a lot of similarities between Ranger and Achilles. Most of that was the mystery that they both wrapped themselves up in to keep everyone else at bay. It's easier to hide who you really are when no one knows you.

"What are you going to do?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

"First, I have to get you out of town," he said with a sigh. "Then, I'm going to have to call Alexander and tell him that he can kiss my ass for hiring me to kill you."

My heart became a bass drum in my chest as bile started to rise in my throat. Alexander Ramos was like a father to me. He had been the one to help me pick up the mess of my life and give me a new one. That he was the one to put an order out for my head made me feel... Betrayal isn't even close enough to how bad it felt. "Alexander?"

"Did you think that you weren't expendable, Stephanie? Did you think that because of what you know, Alexander would keep you forever?" There was more curiosity than reprimand in Achilles' voice.

I whirled away from the window and stepped back to my desk, pulling out a pad of paper and pen. Trip leaned over my desk with a frown as I started writing quickly.

_Get Ranger up here right now. Tell the lobby desk Achilles is coming in and to send him straight up._

Trip was up and moving as I threw my pen down on my desk, pulling out his cell as he left my office. Ranger would be here in seconds, so I knew I didn't have a lot of time to get the basic information that he'd want. With a look sent to Silvio and Alice, our receptionist, they both rose and exited my office after Trip. The fewer witnesses I had, the better. Looks like our Monday morning meeting was over.

"People are not expendable. We all have value," I finally said as I turned back to my phone call.

"Some people actually believe that, too. But did you know that your life is worth five million dollars to Alexander?"

That stopped me. "Five million dollars? You turned down five mill to kill me?"

He sighed and I heard him start breaking down his gun in the back ground. "I told you that it wasn't enough."

I turned back to the window and looked across the road at the roof top. "That's an awful lot of money to turn down."

"I know."

"Ranger's going to want to know everything that's going on."

"I didn't expect anything less from Ranger. Brown isn't going to like me walking in there like this."

My heart gave a little lurch in my chest. "Bobby is in Boston. There won't be an issue."

The movement on the other end of the line ceased. "He left you here? Alone?"

My mouth imitated a fish for a moment. "He left me on his own free will."

The pain from our last fight still radiated in my chest. Bobby knew who and what I was. And he had been fine with that for a while. For a while. But just like every other man I had ever been with, who and what I was wasn't enough. Shortly after a fight we had involving my work, I came to the realization that I'd be better off without a man than to have one who didn't like me the way I was. After that, Bobby left.

"I'm guessing that I won't meet any resistance in the lobby."

"No," I said, thankful that he wasn't going to press the subject. "Trip is already clearing the way."

"I'll see you in five."

The line disconnected as Achilles' head disappeared from my view. The door to my office closed as I lowered my phone and tucked it back in my pocket. Ranger was a silent strength behind me, waiting for information.

"Babe?"

"Alexander put a hit out on me,'"I said quietly as I turned around to face him. His face was a blank mask as he stood at parade rest in the middle of my office. "Achilles was approached for the job. He's decided to turn it down." That got me a raised eyebrow and I could only shrug in response to that. I wasn't even sure why it hadn't been enough money for Achilles to turn it down. "He's on his way up right now. He said that he wants to get me to safety before he calls Alexander to turn the job down."

"Did he tell you how much?"

"Five mill."

Ranger whistled low. "Alexander must really want you dead."

"That seems to be the case."

"Where does Achilles plan on taking you?'

"I didn't ask,'"I said as I turned to my laptop and started checking my bank accounts. It wouldn't take that long to get things transferred to an off shore account that I had. "Something in my gut said that this was coming, Ranger."

"You should have said something." Ranger walked to the chair that Trip had vacated and sat down. "If you were in trouble, you know that I could have already gotten you moved and covered."

I shook my head. "After what happened in Deal... I always knew that sooner or later it would come down to me or Achilles having to take the other out. Alexander was smart to approach Achilles first."

"What would you have done if Alexander came to you?" Ranger asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

My teeth nibbled on my lower lip for a moment. The answer was already on my tongue. It's just that I was having a hard time digesting the truth of the matter.

"I would have done the same thing he's doing," I finally admitted. My eyes left my laptop to stare at Ranger. "Pulling the trigger on Achilles wouldn't have been an option for me."

Ranger stared at me for a moment, searching like he always does. He blew a deep breath out as he slowly shook his head. "That's what I thought you'd say." He stood up and made his way to the door. "Keep me in the loop on what's going on. I'm going to run down to my office and get you a new phone. The ones you have right now are compromised. Don't leave before I get back with one."

"Ranger?"

He stopped at the door and turned back to look at me.

"I know that I never say it," I said as I gave him a small smile, "but I really do love you."

"I love you too, Babe," he said with an answering smile. "Always have and always will."

Ranger turned and opened the door. Achilles was standing on the other side, a few feet back. Both men stared at each other for a moment before Ranger finally stepped aside to let him in my office. Ranger looked back at me one more time before he closed the door. Regret filled his eyes as he gave me a head nod and left.

"So," Achilles said as he walked over to the chairs in front of my desk and sat in one, "you ready to run?"

I turned back to the bank account I had pulled up on my laptop. "I need twenty minutes."


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Characters aren't mine.

**Mine Fields**

_Chapter Two_

"You wanna tell me what happened?" I asked as I rechecked my bank transfers.

"Alexander called me yesterday morning," Achilles said after a moment. "He asked me to fly out and I jumped on the next flight out of Paris. I got in late last night and drove directly to the compound. Early this morning, Alexander called me into his office. He offered me five mill, in cash. Said he wanted it done right now. I left the compound about thirty minutes later to come here."

"How long did you sit on the roof?" I asked as I closed my lap top and moved to a cabinet that sat in the corner of my office.

"About an hour."

I looked over my shoulder at him, trying to gage his mood. His eyes were flat as he stared back at me. There wasn't a single hint of his mood anywhere on his face. Not even his body language, as he sprawled across the chair, gave anything away.

"Did he say why he chose you to ask?" I inquired as I turned back to the cabinet and opened it. Achilles was silent as I pulled on my Kevlar vest and loaded up on extra ammo clips for my twin H&K P30s. Either he'd answer the question, or not. It really didn't matter, I was just curious.

He finally answered. "He didn't think that Ares would follow through. He said that I was the coldest person he knew. I guess that meant that I would be heartless enough to kill you."

I sighed as I turned around to face him. "Alexander was right." Achilles' eyes flashed with fire and I raised my hands to stop him from blowing a fuse. "Ares wouldn't kill me. After all that me and Ares have been through together, he'd see it as killing his own sister and bail at the last minute. Ares would probably even go to the lengths that you are. But Alexander didn't count on what I think stopped you."

"What stopped me?" he asked after I fell silent.

"You've never had an attachment, physically or emotionally, to anyone," I said quietly. "Whether or not either of us wants to admit it, we have an emotional attachment to each other because of the situations we've been through."

He snorted. "I'm not attached to you."

"Denial is a great place to live, Achilles," I said as I moved to the safe I had in the bottom of my desk. "But I've discovered over the last year that I can't keep hiding there. Seeing you again, even after all this time, has done something to me."

There was a sense of peace the enfolded me while I was in Achilles' presence. I'd be the first to admit that I didn't feel very comfortable feeling this safe with him. But something flowed between us that I didn't have a name for. Maybe it was something that I'd never be able to name. However, seeing Achilles again, brought back the one thing that I had never wanted to acknowledge after Deal. Attraction. Pure physical attraction. I wanted Achilles in every horizontal and vertical position I could think of. That was truly something I'd have to ponder later, when I had more time to analyze it.

He sat silently while I focused on putting everything that identified me as Stephanie Plum in the safe and pulled out my new identity. Cassandra Harker. She had bank accounts all over the world along with property in South America and Europe. I had been building her credit history over the last nine months whenever I traveled, buying normal everyday things around the properties when I traveled there.

"Any clue where we are going?" I asked as I stared gathering my stuff and throwing it into the backpack I had pulled from the cabinet.

"Europe's bigger," he said, taking my lead on changing a subject he had no intention of continuing. "I've got a few places over there. Plus, we can head into Asia if we have to."

I nodded. "I've got three places in that area. One in Cairo, one in Amsterdam, and one in the boonies in Russia."

"You've been busy."

"I'm prepared," I corrected. "No matter how much I hate to admit it, shit would have hit the fan sooner or later. I guess I was just hoping that I'd have the chance that I have now to be able to run."

"I'm surprised that you are running."

I turned back to him, a smile tilting up my lips. "I can't take out Alexander. I'd have to be stupid to try. There are too many lives to put at risk if I went after him. And no mater how pissed I am that he's done this, I still care for Alexander."

"Smart, but stupid," he muttered.

"How so?" I asked as I sat in my chair. We still had to wait for Ranger to get back with a phone before we could take off.

"Smart that you know you can't go after Alexander," he explained. "But stupid that you still care for the old man. What would you have done if he had been the one to show up with a gun aimed at you?"

There was something I hadn't thought of. "Alexander doesn't do his own dirty work. But, if he had shown up here... Damn. I really don't know what I would have done."

He nodded. "Are we ready?"

"Gotta wait for Ranger. He's got a phone that he wants me to take," I said to his raised eyebrows. "He won't let me leave without having a way to contact me. Ranger's had a guy inside Alexander's compound for the last eight months. He'd hear if they had a bead on me and, with the phone, Ranger could alert me."

As if speaking of him could conjure him, Ranger walked through the door. He gave me a wary look as he walked over and handed me the phone. "I'm the only one with the number. Get out of here before all hell breaks loose. Word's already spread that Achilles is in the building and there are a few people that are getting anxious about it."

Famous last words. I sighed as a commotion broke out in the waiting area outside my office. Achilles was quickly out of his chair, turning around as he pulled out a gun to train on the door. The last thing any of us needed was a shoot out in the office, so I quickly moved around my desk to stand in front of Achilles. An audible growl emanated from behind me, but I stood my ground. I wasn't about to let there be blood shed before I got the chance to put a great distance between myself and those I really cared about.

"What the hell is going on?" Ram shouted as he and Binkie damn near broke my office door down.

I could see Cal and Vince standing out in the waiting area, throwing their hands in the air with defeat. At least they had tried to help.

"Stephanie?"

I looked over at Binkie as he stood next to Ram. "I have to go."

Those four words damn near broke my heart. Binkie and Ram were like brothers to me. I've spent more time with them than anyone else in the last year. More so after Bobby left. They were a part of my heart, a part of who I was. They've never second guessed my decisions and never told me to change myself. I truly loved them both for that and it made my leaving all the more difficult. Especially now that they were standing in front of me.

"What do you mean you have to go? Where are you going? When are you going to be back?" Ram demanded, anger leaking into his voice.

"Alexander put a hit out on me," I said as I turned away from them and walked to my desk. I took the phone Ranger gave me and tossed it into my back pack, zipping it up before I pulled it on. "Achilles is getting me to a safe place."

"You don't think we can protect you?" Binkie accused.

"It's not about protection, B," I cried out as I whirled around, tears forming in my eyes. "It's about freedom. You guys would lock me up to keep me safe. How long would I last like that? And where would you put me that Alexander couldn't find me? Miami? Atlanta? Would you put me in Boston so Bobby could say 'I told you so'?"

"It doesn't have to be that way," Ram cut in. "Ranger has safe houses."

"And he knew better than to offer that to me!" I yelled. My chest tightened as a tear rolled down my cheek. "I can't live like a prisoner. Achilles is getting me out and then I'm on my own. I don't know where I'll land, but I'll let Ranger know that I'm okay. That's the way it is and how it's going to be. I'm better off on my own where no one else will get hurt."

"Don't do this, Stephanie." The pleading in Binkie's voice almost completely broke me in half.

Achilles holstered his gun as he stepped in front of me, leaving his back to the rest of the room. "We are running out of time. We have to go now."

I nodded and turned to Ranger. "I'll call you tomorrow. I should now by then where we're going."

Ranger slowly nodded his head from where he stood leaning against the wall. There was understanding in his eyes and I was grateful for that. It was nice to know that there was at least one person on my side.

Binkie and Ram tried to protest further as they followed me out of my office. Trip and Silvio stood to the side as they watched me move to the elevator. I gave Trip a head nod that he returned. I'd miss him and Silvio a great deal. They were wonderful partners in the sales department and great drinking buddies after a long day at work. A small smile tilted my lips as Silvio blew me a kiss goodbye.

"Don't go, Stephanie," Binkie pleaded as I walked into the elevator. "I love you."

"I love you, too, B," I whispered through the lump in my throat. "That's why I'm leaving. I refuse to be held responsible for the people I love dying."

The defeat in his eyes was finally joined by logic. He released the door and allowed it to close without getting in the elevator.

"I'm sorry," Achilles said quietly as he stood next to me.

"Just get me to Europe." I'd feel better once I got clear of everyone that meant anything to me. Nothing was worse than the death of a loved one on you head.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Characters aren't mine.

**Mine Fields**

_Chapter Three_

The elevator doors opened to the garage and revealed Tank standing next to his Explorer. He stood at parade rest, his face completely blank. Achilles gave me a nudge to get my feet moving. The thought of staying in RangeMan for the rest of my life was momentarily appealing. I'd be able to keep my friends, my work, half of my life. But then I looked up at Achilles and remembered that only being able to lead half of the life that I wanted would never be enough.

"You got a car?" Tank asked as we approached him.

"Parking garage downtown," Achilles said quietly.

Tank nodded and opened the door to the cargo area of his SUV. He pointed at the large box in that back and said, "The top and interior are lined with infrared deflection material."

I looked into the box and raised my eyebrows. "You think Alexander already has someone else on me?"

"We aren't willing to risk it," Tank said, there was no reflection of feeling in his voice. "Ranger wants you out of here in the safest possible manner."

"Tank..."

Achilles heard the wariness in my voice and wrapped an arm around my waist to usher me forward. "There's a black Audi on the third floor, north east corner."

Shrugging off my back pack, I said, "Are we going to have airflow in that thing? I'd hate to suffocate before I got the chance to even run."

Tank nodded and pointed into the far corners. "Al hooked it up to the main AC lines. Lester said that it cools right down in there."

I smiled and tossed my backpack into the back seat. "Lester will always be the best guinea pig."

"You're stalling," Achilles said as he went first and climbed into the box. "We are running low on time."

"Is there cell reception in there?"

Tank handed me his phone and nodded. "Tell Frank that I'll be his contact here since I'm already his contact with their security system." He pushed me lightly. "Get in, Steph."

It took some wiggling, but I was finally able to get into the box with Achilles. He pulled me back, flush with his chest, and wrapped his arm around my stomach as he draped a leg over mine to pull them between his. I looked down at the edge of the box and nodded that we were clear. Tank closed the front of the box and plunged us into darkness. Every muscle in my body tightened with anxiety. Close quarters are not my ideal way of travel.

"Relax," Achilles breathed in my ear. "Make your phone call. It'll distract you."

He was right. I wiggled my arm up and put the phone in front of my face. There wasn't enough room to get the phone to my ear, so after punching in my parents' number, I put it on speaker phone.

"Plum residence."

A smile formed over my lips. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Pumpkin." There was a smile in his voice that twisted my heart. "How are you?"

"Not to good, Dad," I said slowly, trying like hell to keep the tears burning my eyes from flowing over. "I have to run."

"Run?"

"I'm sorry, Dad," I said quietly. "Alexander is after me. I can't risk everyone, so I'm running."

He was silent for a moment. "Who's getting you out?"

"Achilles."

"You have a communication link set up with Ranger?"

"Yeah. Tank will be your link in. If anything happens or someone shows up looking for me, just call Tank."

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that my dad was taking it so well. But, then, I had told him shortly after I got back from Deal about everything that had happened and where my life had taken me. He wasn't one hundred percent happy about what I was doing. But he thought that of all the men I could work for, Alexander was probably the lesser of all the evils.

"Are you going to be okay?" His voice was soft and clearly showed his heartbreak over the situation I had found myself in. "Do you need anything?"

"Thanks, Dad, but I'm fine," I said after I swallowed a sob. I hated hearing my father so sad. "Achilles is getting me out of the country and then I'll be able to get out on my own. Everything will be fine and Tank will give you updates."

"I love you, Stephanie." His voice cracked slightly.

"I love you, too, Dad."

I flipped the phone closed to end the call just before a sob broke free. Achilles' arm tightened around my waist as he leaned his head closer to mine. My hand tightened over my mouth to try to keep my sobbing inside. Being weak in front of Achilles was embarrassing. I wanted to see me as strong and confident. Not some sobbing, broken woman.

Taking a few deep breaths, I said, "Sorry about that."

"You love your family," he said quietly. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"I was referring to my emotional outburst." My voice sounded a little hollow to my ears.

"I'd have been worried if you didn't have one, Stephanie," he said as he buried his face in my hair. His breath tickled the back of my neck as he spoke. "I'd hate to find that you'd figured out how to turn off your emotions over the last year."

Silence surrounded us as we laid in the box. Tank drove for ages, making a few stops around town to make it look like he was running errands. My muscles had finally started to relax when the SUV came to a stop. The engine cut off and I could faintly hear a door close. Light and warm air rushed into the box as Tank opened the door.

"You guys okay?" he asked as I climbed out.

I kept my back to him as I wiped my face off, making sure that it was dry of tears. "We're cool."

Achilles walked up to a shiny black Audi that sat in the corner. "Five minutes, Stephanie."

Tank muttered under his breath, "Cold bastard."

Turning, I glared at Tank. "Don't start."

He glared back at me silently as he grabbed my backpack and held it out to me.

"This is my life, Tank," I said after I took a deep breath and grabbed the bag. "I refuse to risk the lives of the people I care about. We both know that if I stayed, everyone would be at risk. I can't live that way. No one can. So I'm doing the only thing that I can do."

"Running?"

"I can't take down Alexander," I reasoned. "Who ever they put in his place won't be like Alexander and you'll have a hell of a time trying to keep track of all the guns coming in the country. Who ever comes after him won't have Alexander's moral code to keep things on an even track. Alexander is to remain untouched, Tank. Is that clear?"

"Give me twenty-four hours, Steph." There was a pleading in Tank's voice that I had never heard before.

I shook my head. "No, Tank. You'll realize that I'm right once you had a chance to calm down and think about it."

"I don't want you to go."

The sadness in his eyes brought back a burning sensation to my eyes. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I'm gonna miss you, too."

"I love you," he said quietly as he wrapped his arms around me. "Keep Ranger in the loop."

"I will," I said as I pulled back. A small smile was all I could muster up for him. "Maybe you'll end up on my side of the world and we can hook up."

"As soon as it's safe," he promised as he kissed my forehead. "You can count on it."

Achilles cleared his voice behind me. "We gotta go."

Tank squeezed me hard to his chest one last time and released me. His eyes turned hard as he looked over at Achilles. "If anything happens to her, I'm coming after you first."

Achilles nodded. "I won't let anything happen to her. Ever."

"He's getting me out of the country, Tank," I said as I handed him his cell. "I'll call Ranger once I get on my own."

Tank nodded before he turned and walked to his SUV. I watched him go with a heavy heart. There were so many of the guys that I was going to miss. But somewhere along the line, Tank had managed to get himself in a close second to Ranger.

Once Tank turned the corner and the SUV disappeared, I turned back to Achilles. "Ready?"

He was frowning at me.

"What?"

"Why do you keep telling everyone that I'm just getting you out and then you're taking off on your own?" His voice was low, hinting at the rage that was boiling under his cool exterior. "Did you think that I'd just walk away again?"

My mouth dropped open in shock. "You aren't responsible for me, Achilles." I said once I recovered.

"I left you with Ranger because I knew you'd be safe." His anger was growing, darkening his eyes, as he took a couple of steps towards me. "If I would have known that he couldn't take care of you, then I wouldn't have left you there."

He reached out and grabbed my arms, pulling me into his chest. Lust flashed through his eyes and wiped away his rage a split second before his lips sealed over mine. Oh, my.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Characters aren't mine... except Achilles.

**Mine Fields**

_Chapter Four_

**Achilles' Perspective**

I wasn't so much concerned about whether or not Stephanie was going to punch me for kissing her as I was about how I got to doing it. Her scent, clean and soft, had penetrated my mind and something snapped. The nightmare in the back of my head roared, _she's mine_, and I was suddenly kissing her. I had to lay some sort of claim on her to get my inner beast to calm down.

Her lips were so soft and smooth, the softest thing I had ever felt. I had an image flash through my mind of her lips wrapping around my cock and the beast in my head stood up to take notice. This was going to be bad and I'd more than likely get her hurt. But seeing her... There just wasn't any way for me to stop myself. I wanted her to me mine.

Her eyes were burning bright with fury as I pulled back to look at her. Not that there was a single thought in my head that she shouldn't be. But she was boiling and we were still in danger.

"Get in the car, Stephanie," I said, my voice amazingly quiet. "You can yell at me while I drive."

Surprisingly, she didn't argue. She yanked her arms out of my grasp and stalked over to the passenger side. It took me a moment to school my face before I got in the car with her. She would have definitely hit me if she caught me smiling.

After getting buckled in, and showing Stephanie how to work a five point harness, I got us on the road. I pulled my cell out to make a call since Stephanie was still formulating exactly what words to use in order to yell at me. Shit, I'm not complaining.

The line rang once before it was answered by a deep, sultry voice. "Achilles."

"Muffin." Damn, it was really hard not to smile. Especially since Muffin liked that she sounded like a phone sex operator. "How are our travel plans coming?"

"The jet is at the airport being fueled as we speak," Muffin purred. "The pilot has clearance to depart in an hour."

"Thank you, Muffin." At least one thing was going right. "Tell Max hello for me."

"Max said that he'll be seeing you in Prague."

"Tell Max no and I'll see him in a month in Amsterdam." The last thing I needed was the blood of a billionaire's on my hands. "I'm serious, Muffin. He needs to stay clear until thing quiet down."

"Max wants to know how much trouble you are in. He wants to help anyway that he can."

"He's helping enough by loaning out the plane. Please, Muffin, keep him Stateside til things cool down. I'll call him once it's safe."

"You'll call if there's something he can do?"

"Absolutely."

"He wants a phone call every few days."

"Okay."

"Be safe."

"Always."

Closing my phone and stowing it in my pocket, I looked over at Stephanie.

"Who is Muffin?"

My grin finally broke through. "She's my friend Max's... assistant."

"And Max would be..."

"A friend."

She sighed and looked back out the window. "Where are we going?"

"Prague for a few days." The least she knew right now the better. "I've got a place there."

"Why are you helping me, Achilles?" Her voice was quiet and strained.

I didn't know how to answer that. _Because I can't live without you anymore? Because your voice is the only thing I hear over the white noise in my head when I zone out? Because I can't stop thinking about you? Because the killer inside me wants you so bad that it's foaming at the mouth? Because I'm in love with you?_ All of those were the wrong thing to say to her right now. So I said the only thing that I felt safe saying.

"Because you're the only person I trust."

The rest of the drive to the airport was made in silence. Stephanie sat there looking out the window and I tried really hard not to lose my mind. I could still smell her. Strawberry shampoo and peaches and cream body wash. Is she going to think that I'm too psychotic when she sees that I have all of her body and face products sitting in a basket under my bathroom sink in Prague? Who was I kidding? I am psychotic.

Max spent enough time in Jersey to have a hanger with his company's logo on the side. When we pulled up and parked next to the hanger, I was pleased to see Stephanie's eye go large.

She pointed at the sign. "Your friend Max in _that_ Max?"

I grinned. "I may be a lowly assassin, but I have a few friends in high places."

"How on Earth did you meet Max Holt?" she asked as we climbed out.

I fished her back pack and mine out of the back seat before walking with her around to the side of the building where the door was. "Max had some security issues. I was referred to him."

Stopping before in front of the door, I opened my back pack after handing Stephanie hers. I could feel her eyes on me as I searched through my bag.

Pulling out two passports and a small box, I turned back to her. "You need this," I said as I handed one of the passports. Then I opened the box and fished out the smaller of the two rings. "And you need this."

She stared at the ring for a minute before taking it. "What's that for?"

"Most married people wear wedding rings," I said as I slid my ring on my left hand.

She looked from the ring in her hand to the one that I had just put on mine. "Cover?"

"I don't trust anyone further than I can throw them, Stephanie," I said quietly. "Not even the people that work for one of the only friends that I have."

"Only me," she whispered as she looked back up into my eyes.

I nodded. "Only you."

She slid the ring on and put her passport in her pocket after looking at it one more time. "Since you are my husband, you should probably tell me your name."

"My passport says Jonathan Dixon."

"But that's not your real name."

"No."

Without waiting for more questions, I opened the door and ushered her into the hanger. A small, sleek Boeing jet sat in the middle of the hanger, the two pilots sitting in folding chairs off to the side. They looked up from the cards they were holding and waved us over.

"Mr. And Mrs. Dixon?" the captain asked as he stood up.

"That'd be us," I said with a polite smile, my arm wrapping around Stephanie's waist. "Are we all set to take off?"

"Sure thing. We have a short stop in Madrid for fuel and then we'll be on to Prague. Do you have any more bags?" the co-pilot asked as he stepped forward.

"Just the ones we have," Stephanie said.

They both gave us a funny look before they waved us over to the plane. A security guard from the airport walked through the back door as we approached the plain. He checked over our passports and the roster for the plain before waving us on. The upside to flying private was that things went so much faster than the commercial side of life.

Fifteen minutes later, we were buckled in for take off and Stephanie was chewing on her bottom lip. She looked over at me and asked in a soft voice exactly what I knew was coming.

"What is your real name?"


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Characters are not mine.

**Mine Fields**

_Chapter Five_

**Stephanie's POV**

His lips twitched. "How about some music to distract you?"

My eyebrows raised. "You aren't going to tell me?"

Achilles grinned. He brought his hand up and made a circle, then cupped his ear and sliced his hand across his throat. Sign language for the plane might be bugged. Was Max paranoid enough to bug his own plane? I don't know because I don't know Max. But it's always better to be cautious.

"Music would be fine," I conceded.

He nodded as he grabbed a remote out of a drawer next to his seat and pointed it at a radio mounted in the wall. I grimaced as classical music started flowing out of the speakers around us. A smile twitched at the corner of his lips as he tucked the remote away. Glaring had no ill effect on him, so it seemed that his distraction technique was to have me fuming at him instead of playing attention to our small plane going up in the air. Perfect. I wonder what he's going to do when halfway to Spain, I'm going to start freaking out about how much fuel we have left. Make me watch the Three Stooges?

"I'm not sure that Max has any of their movies," Achilles said with a grin. "But if he doesn't, I'll do all that I can to distract you."

I glared harder. "Shut up."

Achilles was laughing as the co-pilot opened the door to the cockpit.

"We're at flying altitude," he said after Achilles quieted down. "You can get up and walk around now. We'll let you know when you have to buckle back up for landing. According to weather reports, it should be smooth sailing all the way to Madrid."

Achilles nodded to him and said, "Thank you."

I waited for the co-pilot to close the door before I released my seat belt and stood up. "You want a drink?"

"Water," Achilles said as he got unbuckled and stood up.

Moving through a small doorway behind the main seating area, I opened a small fridge to check out the fluid situation. Soda, beer, juice, and water bottles were neatly set in sliders to keep them from falling over during flight. I grabbed two bottles of water before I moved turned around to the cabinets on the other side of the small isle that I stood in.

"What's behind this back door?" I asked as he appeared next to me.

He took the water that I held out and pointed at the door. "There's a bedroom and bathroom back there."

My eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Max flies a lot," Achilles said with a shrug.

He watched me peruse the cabinets for a minute while my interest in the rear area of the plain increased. A small grin crossed my lips when I found a bag of Hershey's Kisses behind some bags of chips.

Turning to Achilles, I held up the bag. "What a kiss?"

His eyes went from my lips to the bag of chocolate. "I don't eat chocolate."

"Are you allergic?" I asked as I opened the bag and fished a piece out.

"No."

I peeled off the wrapped and popped the little piece of heaven in my mouth. "Don't like the taste?"

"No."

Taking my bag of treasure and water bottle, I turned from Achilles and opened the door to the bedroom. I walked through the door and stopped in the small hallway. To the left was a small bathroom and to the right, after opening the door to investigate, was a closet full of his and her suits.

"Afraid?" Achilles asked, his breath on the back of my neck as I faced the bedroom door.

"Cautious," I countered.

"Of a bedroom?" He was amused.

"Not my bedroom," I said with a shrug. "For all I know, there's a sex swing hanging from the ceiling and shackles on the walls."

His body fully leaned into mine, his body heat seeping into me and raising my temperature. "The swing might be fun. Even distracting."

My breath froze in my chest at the husky sound of his voice. If I turned around right now, would I get a better glimpse of the lust that I had seen flash through his eyes in the parking garage? Better question. Do I want to see lust in his eyes? Shit. I really didn't know, so I opened the bedroom door and walked in.

"How disappointing," Achilles said from the doorway a moment later. "No swing or bondage equipment. I'm going to have to talk to Max about this."

I grinned at him over my shoulder. "Maybe we'll have better luck the next time we run for our lives."

He shook his head and released a sigh. "Hopefully this is the last time we have to run." He reached over and hit a button on the wall next to the door. A panel on the wall lowered to reveal a flat screen TV and shelves with DVDs stacked neatly. "Pick a movie while I make a phone call."

Moving over to the shelves, I looked over the movies. Huh. Max liked romantic comedies and horror flicks.

**Mystery Phone Caller's POV**

The grimace on my face tightened at the sound of my cell ringing.

"Yeah," I answered.

Achilles' deep voice rumbled through the phone. "Where are you?"

"Paris."

"Working?"

"Yes."

"Are you almost done?"

I looked over at the two men I had gagged and tied to chairs. "I will be."

"Have you gone to the house?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"It's ready with everything you requested."

"And you'll be in Prague?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Achilles?" A voice in my head demanded that I ask, "How loud is it?"

"It's absolute orgasmic silence."

I closed my phone and took a deep breath. Things sounded promising. Looking back at the two men, the whispering in my head got louder. _More blood. More blood. More blood._

**Stephanie's POV**

Holding up a DVD, I said, "Looks like we're going with Rob Zombie's _Halloween_."

Achilles nodded as he put his phone back in his pocket and sat in the only chair in the room. "Sounds good."

"Who were you talking to?" I asked as I set up the movie and moved to sit on the bed with my bag of chocolate.

"My brother."

I looked over at him with raised eyebrows. "You have a brother?"

Something passed through his eyes before he looked down at his hands. "I've asked him to be back up for me for a few days until I can get you to my place."

"We're going to Paris?" That sounded like a horrifically bad idea to me.

He shook his head as he looked back up at me. "I have an apartment in Paris that I chill at sometimes." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I have a real home that only my brother knows about. That's where I'm taking you after Prague." He hesitated as he stared into my eyes. "I'm taking you home."


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Achilles is the only character that is mine... so far. All the rest belong to JE.

**Mine Fields**

_Chapter Five_

Six months of working my ass off for Alexander and Ranger finally caught up to me. There was a vague memory of removing my Kevlar vest and stashing my guns before I laid down on Max's bed, passing completely out before my head even hit the pillow. It was weird though. Sleeping was not one of the things that I kept in my repertoire for amusing myself while in flight. I was always too jittery to even think about it. But Achilles gave me one look and told me to sleep. Something in me refused to argue.

Voices finally woke me out of the comma I had fallen into.

"-prepare for landing in Prague in thirty minutes."

"Thanks," Achilles voice grumbled fairly close to my head.

The door closed as I opened my eyes and looked straight into his eyes. A small smile tilted up the corners of his lips as he reached up slowly and tucked a curl behind my ear. How had I missed him crawling on the bed with me?

"You were exhausted," he said quietly as he started to frown. "Haven't you been sleeping?"

"I average six hours a night," I said as I rolled onto my back to stretch out. "I've been pretty busy the last few months."

"Two government contracted deals for Ranger, about twenty jobs for Alexander, plus working at RangeMan full time," Achilles said as he sat up and looked over at me. "You've been a little bit more than _busy_."

My eyebrows raised. "How'd you know?"

He smiled lightly. "I have friends."

And I knew that'd be all I'd get. "I really slept through Madrid?"

He nodded. "Like a rock. But you needed it, so I didn't wake you up for it. It was only fuel anyway."

Achilles stood from the bed and walked over to the corner. He crouched down after pulling keys from his pocket and unlocked a cabinet. Leaning over the edge of the bed to get a better view, I watched as he pulled a duffel bag out of the cabinet and sat it on the bed. He locked the cabinet before turning to the bag.

"Jump in the shower really quickly," he said as he pulled out clothes and handed them to me.

I frowned down at the pair of jeans and white t-shirt. Looking closer, I realized they were both in my size. "Either you often travel with woman who wear my size, or you are the most organized and paranoid person I know."

"Organized. I always have a contingency plan." He hesitated as he looked down at me. "And ever since Deal, you've been a part of that plan." He turned and opened the door, reaching into the bathroom to turn on the shower. "Try to be quick. I want a shower, too."

If he didn't want to discuss that comment further, than I wasn't going to push. Besides, what exactly was I suppose to say about that? I grumbled my way to the shower. It turns out that it a plain as small as the one that we were in, the shower was the tiniest one I had ever seen in my life. It couldn't have been more than a two and a half foot cubed shower stall. Definitely a single person experience. Showering quickly was really the only option I had. There just wasn't enough room to luxuriate in anything.

Fifteen minutes and a lot of cursing later, I stumbled out of the bathroom and Achilles went in. Men are amazingly fast at cleaning themselves. At least that's the way I like to look at it. The other option, they don't actually clean themselves at all, was just to much for my brain to handle. Achilles took exactly six minutes from walking into the bathroom and walking out, completely dressed. It had to be some kind of record.

"When we get to the apartment, let me know if you need anything and either my brother or I will run out to get it," he said as he loaded his dirty clothes into the duffel bag.

He pulled out a stick of deodorant and used it before tossing it to me. I grimaced but used it anyway. Better to smell like a man then smell like a stinky woman in my book.

Tossing the deodorant back to him, I said, "You get this weird look on your face every time you mention your brother. Is there something that you want to tell me?"

"Ask me again when we get in the car."

He threw my vest at me and I started suiting back up. That cute little smile was crossing his lips again when I turned back to him as I finished. We were like the Bobbsey Twins. White t-shirts, jeans, boots, vests, and enough guns to successfully rob a Swiss bank. It made me smile.

A chime echoed out of the small speakers in the ceiling, indicating that it was time to buckle up for landing. We moved to the front of the plain and sat in two of the lounge chairs. He reached into his backpack, that still sat on the floor next to his seat and pulled out two ipods.

Tossing a light pink one to me, he said, "Zen out for a few minutes."

Frowning at it, I put the buds in my ears as I turned it on. My frown was replaced by a smile as INXS's _Need You Tonight_ started thumping into my ears. Michael Hutchence had been one extremely sexy man with a hypnotic voice. I let him sing me into a state of peace, focusing on the words and his voice. George Michael's _Freedom 90_ popped on after than and my smile grew as I closed my eyes and started bopping in my seat.

Nirvana had been reached when my ipod flipped over to the next song, _Stay_ by Shakespeare's Sister. My eyes opened and I looked over at Achilles. His eyes were closed, but I knew by the grin he was trying to hide, he was proud of himself. The little shit. How long had he been watching me for? When had he gotten the chance to break into my car without me figuring it out? I looked back down at the ipod I was holding. The one that I kept in my car was actually red, but the same brand and model. Achilles had copied all the songs and down loaded them all on to this one.

Was that sweet or creepy? If it had been almost anyone else, I would have said creepy. But this was Achilles. He didn't do anything without having a true purpose. The only thing I couldn't figure was what that purpose was. Was he trying to think about my personal comfort? Or was he trying to rub it in my face that he had been in Trenton and I didn't even know?

Leaning my head back on the head rest, I stared at Achilles as the plain came in for landing, listening to Kate Bush's _This Woman's Work_. Every time I thought about Achilles over the last year, there were so many things that I had wanted to say to him if I only had the chance. A little voice in the back of my head would pop up every time I climbed on a plain and headed to Europe. _Look for him_, the voice would demand. _Call him. Find him. Do something!_

But do what? Sitting here and looking at him,being wrapped up in his presence, I still didn't know what to do. It was dangerous for him to stay with me and he knew that. But back in the garage, he said he wasn't letting me go. A knot tightened in my chest. Could I really put his life at risk because I thought that I might love him? Was it fair to let him risk his life if I didn't know? Where was a magic eight ball when I really needed one?

The plain landed, then taxied, then parked. We de-boarded, walked to a Passat that was parked in a private parking lot, and drove away. It was all very efficient. And silent. Neither one of us said a single word as Achilles drove us around Prague. It occurred to me that I should really be looking out the windows and watching the roads to get my barrings. But I was to stuck in my head to even think about it.

"Why are we here?" I finally asked. "If this isn't home, what's the point in being here?"

"Word will get out that I'm here and Alexander will, inevitably, get pissed that you are still breathing," Achilles said quietly. "He'll send at least three more people to try to get the job done. I know that it's too much to ask to not have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. But I'm pissed at this whole situation and what better way to get back at Alexander than to take out a few of his hired guns?"

He had a point. "So you think someone's going to see you, Alexander will put two and two together, and send in his plan 'B'?"

"Someone's already seen us," he said as he grinned over at me. "I purposefully drove by a deli that one of Alexander's associates owns. He was standing out front and he saw me... and you. It's only a matter of time now. The good news is that we have a little time to prepare."

Turning my head towards the window, I sighed. "For another blood bath."

"Don't underestimate me or my brother."

"I don't even know who your brother is!" I winced at how loud my voice got. "Who is he?"

We stopped at a light and I turned to Achilles with my eyebrows raised at his silence.

He looked into my eyes and dropped the mother of all bombs. "My brother is Hannibal."


End file.
